Singanalluru Puttaswamaiah Muthuraj, better known by his stage name Dr. Rajkumar, was an Indian actor and singer who worked in Kannada cinema. Regarded as one of the greatest actors in the history of Indian cinema and a versatile actor, he is considered a cultural icon and holds a matinée idol status in the Kannada diaspora, among whom he is popularly called as Nata Saarvabhouma, Bangarada Manushya, Vara Nata, Gaana Gandharva, Rasikara Raja, Kannada Kanteerava and Rajanna/Annavru. He was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 1983 and Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1995. He is the only lead actor to win National Award for singing. His 35 movies have been remade 58 times in 9 languages by 34 actors making him the first actor whose movies were remade more than fifty times and the first actor whose movies were remade in nine languages. He was the first actor in India to enact a role which was based on James Bond in a full-fledged manner. The success of his movie Jedara Bale is credited to have widely inspired a Desi bond genre in other Indian film industries. On the occasion of the "Centenary of Indian Cinema" in April 2013, Forbes included his performance in Bangaarada Manushya on its list of "25 Greatest Acting Performances of Indian Cinema". Upon his death, The New York Times had described him as one of India's most popular movie stars.
Bangaarada Manushya is a 1972 Indian Kannada language film based on T. K. Rama Rao's novel of same name. Ramarao was known for his crime and detective novels, but this film was a social drama. It was directed by S. Siddalingaiah under the banner Srinidhi Productions. Prior to this, Siddalingaiah had worked with Rajkumar in Mayor Muthanna. It stars Rajkumar and Bharathi. The film was screened for over two years at the States Theatre in Bangalore and was screened for sixty weeks in Chamundeshwari theatre in Mysore, the film Completed one year in many centres and twenty five weeks in every major and minor centre. The movie saw a 25 weeks run when it was re-released in 1988.
Kaviratna Kalidasa is a 1983 Kannada-language historical drama film based on the life of Kālidāsa, a renowned Classical Sanskrit writer of the 4th Century A.D. The film was written and directed by Renuka Sharma and produced by V. S. Govinda. The film stars Rajkumar, portraying the title role of Kalidasa, along with Jaya Pradha in the role of Vidyadhare and Srinivasa Murthy as Raja Bhoja.
Sadananda Sagar, better known by his stage name Vajramuni, was an Indian actor who appeared in Kannada films. He portrayed negative characters during most of his career and was considered one of Kannada cinema's finest actors. Over his career, he came to be known for his "thundering voice and sterling performance[s]" that earned him the epithets, Nata Bhairava and Nata Bhayankara.
Singanalluru Puttaswamaiah Muthuraj, better known by his stage name Dr. Rajkumar, was an Indian actor, singer and producer who worked in Kannada cinema. Through his over five-decade long career of over 200 films, he was regarded one of the most pivotal and influential figures of the Kannada film industry. His films were praised for acting as a bridge between the popular and art films because of the theme of the story and their treatment. He debuted as a child actor in the 1942 Kannada film Bhakta Prahlada. His first role as an adult came in Sri Srinivasa Kalyana (1952) and as a lead, two years later, in Bedara Kannappa, which gave him stardom. He debuted as a singer with the track Om Namaha Shivaya from the 1956 film Ohileshwara. In 1960, he made his debut as a producer by producing Ranadheera Kanteerava. According to Ashish Rajadhyaksha and Paul Willemen in the book Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema, Ranadheera Kanteerava was the first "big hit" in Kannada cinema. In a film career spanning fifty years, Rajkumar received eleven Karnataka State Film Awards, including nine Best Actor and two Best Singer awards, eight Filmfare Awards South, and one National Film Award. Along with Vishnuvardhan and Ambareesh, he is counted in Kannada cinema's "triumvirate" as its most celebrated actor.
K. C. Nanjunde Gowda was a businessman and one of the top Kannada film producers, exhibitors, financiers and distributors. He is credited with producing some of the classic films in the annals of Kannada film industry, namely, Sharapanjara, Huliya Halina Mevu, Babruvahana, Bangarada Panjara, Daari Thappida Maga and many more.
Karaganahalli Subbaraya Ashwathanarayana was an Indian veteran actor who appeared in Kannada films He appeared in over 370 films during his five-decade-long career. His only memorial in the whole of Karnataka, India is in the Kengeri satellite town, Bengaluru. Memorial name - "K. S. Ashwath Memorial Children's Park".
Jadalathimmanahalli Krishnappa Srinivasa Murthy, known popularly as Srinivasa Murthy, is an Indian actor and television director. He is mostly known for his work as a director having made many television series in Kannada, beginning in 2001, based on the lives of various Kannada philosophers and poets, and adaptations of the works of popular Kannada writers. As an actor, he is known for his work in Kannada cinema, appearing often in supporting roles. He began his career as a stage artiste in both professional and amateur theatre, before taking to films in 1977.
Advani Lakshmi Devi is a retired Indian actress known for her work in Kannada cinema. She has played a variety of roles such as heroine, vamp, mother, grandmother in hundreds of Kannada movies over the last 50 years. Her role in films Gandhada Gudi (1973) and Sri Srinivasa Kalyana (1974) as mother is much remembered. She is the mother of veteran actress Roopadevi who acted in many Kannada movies with Rajkumar such as Haalu Jenu (1982), Samayada Gombe (1984) and Yarivanu (1984). Rajkumar holds the distinction of having played hero and son's role with her. Rajkumar] holds the distinction of having played the hero to both Roopadevi and her mother Advani Lakshmi Devi. Lakshmi Devi recently honoured with Rajkumar lifetime achievement award 2016 by the state government of Karnataka.
C. H. Loknath was an Indian actor with more than 1000 Kannada plays and 650 films to his credit. Loknath is affectionately known as "Uncle Loknath" or "Uppinakayi" in the industry. His last performance was in a Star Suvarna Channel's TV series titled Priyadarshini.
Dr.Parvathamma Rajkumar was an Indian film producer and distributor. She was the wife of veteran Kannada actor Dr. Rajkumar. She produced successful films featuring Rajkumar and their sons Shiva Rajkumar, Puneeth Rajkumar and Raghavendra Rajkumar under the production house named "Poornima Enterprises". Actresses who found fame in her productions include Malashri, Prema, Rakshita, Sudha Rani and Ramya. She was awarded a doctorate from Bangalore University.
Daari Tappida Maga is a 1975 Indian Kannada-language film produced and directed by Peketi Sivaram. The film stars Rajkumar, Kalpana, Aarathi, Manjula and Jayamala with K. S. Ashwath, M. V. Rajamma and Vajramuni in supporting roles and Thoogudeepa Srinivas in a cameo along with Rajkumar's second son Raghavendra in a small role in his second on screen appearance as a child artist after the 1974 movie Sri Srinivasa Kalyana. Rajkumar appeared in dual roles in the movie. The music was composed by G. K. Venkatesh. The movie was a Blockbuster and saw a theatrical run of over 175 days in multiple centres. The movie was re-released on 22 November 2019. The movie was dubbed in Malayalam in 1976 as Kollakkaran. It was later remade in Malayalam in 1980 as Manushya Mrugam starring Jayan.
Mysore Srinivas, known by his stage name Thoogudeepa Srinivas was an Indian actor who appeared in Kannada films and is remembered for his portrayal of negative-shaded characters. He is the father of actor, Darshan and film director Dinakar.
Jodi Hakki is a 1997 Indian Kannada-language musical romance film written and directed by D. Rajendra Babu, produced by P. Dhanraj and starring Shiva Rajkumar, Charulatha and Vijayalakshmi.
Shankar Guru is a 1978 Indian Kannada-language action thriller film directed by V. Somashekhar, written by Chi. Udayashankar and produced by Parvathamma Rajkumar under the banner of Dakshayini Combines. It stars Rajkumar in the lead role alongside Jayamala, Padmapriya, Kanchana, Balakrishna, Vajramuni, Thoogudeepa Srinivas and Uma Shivakumar in supporting roles. Rajkumar appears in a triple role in the film — as a father and his two sons separated in childhood.
Basappa Jaya, commonly known as B. Jaya, was an Indian actress, known for her work in Kannada cinema. She acted in over 200 films. For her performance in the movie Gowdru, Jaya won the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2004-05.
Mavinakere Srinivasayyangar Cheluvayyangar better known by his stage name Sampath was an Indian actor in the Kannada film industry. Some of the notable films of Sampath as an actor include Gandhada Gudi (1973), Sri Srinivasa Kalyana (1974), Bhakta Kumbara (1974) and Eradu Kanasu (1974).
Raja Shankar or Rajashankar was an Indian actor in Kannada cinema. His films include Bhakta Kumbara (1974), Sampathige Saval (1974) and Sri Srinivasa Kalyana (1974). He also co-produced the 1974 Kannada movie Bangaarada Panjara starring Dr. Rajkumar and the 1976 Kannada movie Vijaya Vani.
Udupi Jayaram was an Indian choreographer known for his work in Kannada cinema. He choreographed in dance sequences for over 500 films which included Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Tulu films.
